Profile

Based in Marseille, Dorian Renard distinguishes himself through a sculptural and experimental practice that plays with balance, transparency, and distortion. Fascinated by glass, he reinterprets traditional craft techniques, applying them to plastic and restoring this often-disparaged material to its former glory, thus reshaping our perception of beauty.

A graduate of the École supérieure d’art et design de Saint-Étienne, Dorian Renard began his career in London, collaborating on projects for Ikea Global and Habitat UK. However, he quickly found industrial design too detached from the craft and the material itself. His path then led him to artisanal work, notably alongside designer Alex de Witte, whom he accompanied to the Czech Republic to the workshops where his lighting fixtures are made. The experience of the glassmakers and their intimate dialogue with a living material marked a decisive turning point in his artistic approach.

Two years at the Design Academy Eindhoven confirmed his path: he refined his style, translated glassblowing techniques into plastic, and explored the limits of the material. His work no longer simply creates objects; it questions the meaning of forms, experiments with beauty, and celebrates the human gesture, visible in every twist and fold.

Now based in Marseille, Dorian designs and manufactures his pieces in a shared workshop near the Old Port. His collection, The Beauty of Distortion, perfectly illustrates this approach: pieces that defy standards, capture light, and play with perception, where craftsmanship meets contemporary design.

https://dorianrenard.com